Companions Of Yesterday
by Salty-Spitoon
Summary: "We were happy once," she cried,staring at the man she once loved. With every passing second,it felt like her heart was slowly being ripped out. "That was a long time ago." He responded. Their eyes locked,and neither moved. "If that's the case,I'd rather


**xxxxxxxxxxxx**

He didn't look anything like she expected.

She righted her glasses and stared long and hard at the boy.

"What did you say your name was again?" She asked as she observed the teenager in front of her.

His hair hung loose beyond his shoulders. Strawberry-blonde was the original color,but he had dyed it to a very dirty blonde,though she couldn't tell accurately as her eyesight was poor.

His red snapback sent a wave of nostalgia through her,but she subtly physically shook it away.

His large tattoo on his forearm that offered some very _colorful_ suggestive remarks sickened her and she tried to avoid staring at it.

Her first impressions of the boy weren't the best,but overall she found him quite pleasant to look at.

He had his father's eyes. And unfortunately,his idiosyncrasies.

He scoffed and dropped his duffel bag.

"Brick Jojo Jr,but never call me that. Brick is fine." He warned as he glared at her.

A ghost of a smirk appeared on her lips before they thinned into a tight straight line.

"Nice to meet you Brick. Should I show you to your room?" She asked with a huge smile.

"No. Who are you?" He asked,tense. He must not have been used to such hospitality.

"Bubbles Jo-" she stopped herself,took a deep breath and wore her usual smile. "Bubbles Utonium."

He stared at her for what seemed like eternity. He was trying to figure out who she was. Surely,he must have seen her somewhere-she seemed oddly familiar.

"You're Bubbles? So this is where you live?" He had a look of disgust on his face,though Bubbles couldn't tell why. Her little two bedroom apartment was warm and cozy,decorated to provide visitors with happy feelings and a sense of family.

"Yes,I am-"

He cut her off by kicking his bag roughly. "Do you have to talk so much?" He asked,his voice bordering towards aggressive.

She blinked in confusion.

He pulled out a crumpled paper from his pocket and handed it to her. "My dad asked me to give this to you."

She took it,the whole time trying not to look as frightened as she felt. She skimmed through the note.

 _"He'll stay with you from now on,at least until I decide to send him off to military school. He's your responsibility now,I don't give a fuck what you do with him-just don't let me see him any time soon."_

She sighed heavily and looked up at the boy.

"Your room is the second door on the left."

And with that,she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

* * *

She half expected her apartment to be burnt down,but she was pleasantly surprised to find it just as she had left it.

Brick was nowhere to be found,so after packing away the groceries,she marched right to his new room.

She knocked lightly. No answer.

After a few seconds,she opened the door slightly. Brick was sprawled out on his bed,his music pounding loudly through his headphones.

Bubbles leaned over him and touched his peaceful face. He looked so much like his father,it killed her.

Holding back tears,she placed a small kiss on his forehead.

"Welcome home." She whispered before closing the door tightly behind her.

* * *

Brick Jr awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked no one in particular. He looked around his new room and found no one there-just as expected.

Stepping out of the room,the smell led him to the kitchen where Bubbles happily made breakfast.

She turned and nearly dropped the plate full of pancakes. "You scared me!" She laughed heartily as she placed the plate down.

"Are you hungry?" She asked as she put a glass full of Orange Juice in front of him as he sat at the counter.

"How long have I been asleep?" He asked impatiently.

"Since yesterday actually. I found you asleep when I returned. You should eat something soon." She changed the subject with ease.

He stared at the juice with a look of disgust. He sipped a little and hurriedly slammed it down,causing some to slosh and spill all around him. "There's pulp in this."

Instead of feeling hurt by his rudeness,she couldn't help but smile. "You're just like your father," she commented slightly as she cleaned up the mess.

"You know,before last week,my dad had never mentioned you. It was while he was yelling at me for being irresponsible. He said, _'Get the fuck out of my house! You're going to her house,so pack your shit and leave!'_ I didn't even know who _her_ was." He chuckled,his shoulders shaking in delight.

"I'm not exactly your fathers favorite person." Bubbles stated matter-of-factly.

"How do you even know each other?" Brick pried,angry that he was still in the dark about who this woman was. She seemed familiar. Hell,she could be a family member or someone he's met before. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

She raised an eyebrow playfully. "Long,boring story. I'm afraid I just haven't got the time to tell it." She smirked and stepped out of the kitchen.

* * *

When Brick stepped out of the kitchen,he found Bubbles seated quietly in front of the TV.

She looked at the screen,he noted,but her mind was somewhere else.

After a minute,she blinked,sending herself back to reality. She turned towards him.

"When did you get here? Would you like to watch-"

"Who the fuck are you?" He interrupted.

"Bubbles... Utonium" she said slowly as if she were speaking to a child.

He scoffed. "I know that. But why would my dad send me to you? Do I know you?"

She blinked again and stood up. "Brick-"

"You know what,forget it. I'm only here till my dad calls to confirm whether I actually arrived. Then I'll be long gone."

She sighed. "Suit yourself."

He glared at her and headed for his room,slamming his door in the process.

* * *

"Brick,I'm heading off now." Bubbles called from outside Brick's room. She stood by the door patiently.

She had asked for a week off from work to help Brick settle in,but the boy had never left his room since the Sunday he had locked himself in.

Brick Sr had called a few days ago to ask if his son had arrived safely,and after hearing the boy was there,he hang up almost immediately.

Bubbles held back tears at the memory. It seemed like a lifetime ago when her and Brick had actually been happy.

She righted her glasses again. At age 35,Bubbles' eyes should have been perfect,and they would have been,if she hadn't been careless. Her constant reading in the dark had brought this upon herself.

The door in front of her opened unexpectedly and the woman looked up.

"What time will you be home?" He asked,leaning against the door casually. His red eyes stared long and hard at her. The room behind him was dark,and it seemed he intended on keeping it that way.

"Late. I have to work overtime tonight. There's some food in the fridge,if you get hungry."

He nodded slowly. Bubbles had expected him to turn around and slam the door in her face,but no,the boy actually followed her to the front door. Maybe one week in solitude had taught the boy some manners.

"You father _did_ call a few days ago. So I'm guessing you'll be leaving soon?" She asked,grabbing her purse. The boy looked confused at first,but quickly covered it up with a glare. Some things never change.

"Tired of me,already?" He taunted,crossing his arms and towering menacingly above her. He was at least a foot taller than her.

She looked up,unafraid. "You said so yourself. You're more than welcome to stay here until your father calls for you."

He scoffed. "My dad doesn't want me."

Before she could respond,his phone rang,ending their short conversation.

He walked away,leaving her by the door.

* * *

It was well after midnight when Bubbles slowly entered her apartment. Her feet hurt,and her eyes were heavy. Sleep was the only thing on her mind.

She locked the bedroom door behind her and fell on her bed. As her eyes closed slowly,they fixed on her makeup vanity. They shot open immediately.

Moving things aside quickly,she searched frantically for _it_.

"Oh no,where is it?" She asked aloud as tears started to blind her.

She thought of Brick,who by now,was probably asleep in his room.

She ran out of her room and banged loudly on his door. Yeah,she was crazy,but she couldn't afford to lose it.

When he didn't respond,she swung the door open. He wasn't in there.

She turned sharply and saw light coming from the kitchen. Was that on when she arrived? She must have been too tired to notice.

"Brick!" She yelled out of breath,leaning against the door.

Brick sat perfectly still with his head on the kitchen counter.

"Brick," she said in a normal voice. He moved slightly and lifted his head slowly.

In his hand,was her locket. She relaxed visibly at the sight of it.

"I found this in your room." Brick stated,watching her. He held out his hand and gave it back to her.

She opened it,and sighed softly. Inside the little locket,was a picture. Of her and Brick Sr,to be exact.

"That's you,isn't it?" He asked,already knowing the answer. They were young when that photo was taken,but it was still them.

She blinked back tears.

"I don't know who you are,but I know you and my dad have known each other for a while. Were you guys a thing or..." He left the question in the air.

He ran his hands through his hair. "And I don't know why,but I feel like I know you too. And it's bothered me this whole time. That's why I can't leave." He blushed crimson at his slight confession.

He paced around the room,only stopping when Bubbles placed her hand on his.

"Maybe it's time you found out." She stated. He didn't know what to say. He had never really stared into her eyes before. She had the most beautiful eyes and he couldn't look away.

She asked him to sit in the living room,while she made them some hot chocolate. He obeyed without a complaint,her eyes imbedded in his mind forever.

Bubbles appeared in the living room a few minutes later,with two cups of hot chocolate.

"I'll be right back," She said as she placed them on the coffee table and disappeared into her room. She came out in an oversized t-shirt and comfy sweats,her locket still in her hand.

She grabbed two blankets from the closet and offered Brick one,but he declined with a wave of his hand. She laid it beside him,just in case he changed his mind.

She made herself comfortable,hot chocolate in hand.

She closed her eyes for what seemed like forever,and slowly let out a breath and looked up.

Then she spoke.

 **xxxxxxxxxxxx**

 **I'm not dead guys!**

 **"STILL ALIVE!" ~The croods.**

 **This is my new story and I hope y'all like it :)**

 **Please review for a fast update. And don't forget to fav/follow!**

 **Koolbeans**


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